With the increased mobility of many in today's workforce, the demand for mobile computing and communication capabilities outside of the office has also increased. Those who typically work outside the office such as salespeople and field professionals often require the ability to communicate with others and access various data files. In response to this demand, personal digital assistants (PDAs) have been developed. A PDA is a compact device that can serve various functions of a cellular phone, facsimile transmitter, personal organizer, and the like. PDAs typically include a stylus and touch screen for user input, and may include a keyboard. PDAs can be used for sending and retrieving e-mail, Web browsing, and data-sharing applications over the Internet, intranet or corporate networks.
PDAs incorporating voice communication capabilities may include a handset. Because PDAs are designed for mobility, they are often small, compact devices. Accordingly, a handset associated therewith is typically small in size as well. To protect a handset during travel and to prevent it from becoming dislodged from a PDA, the handset is mounted within a PDA in a secure manner. Often times a handset is "buried" deep within the casing of a PDA so as to be flush with the body of the PDA.
Unfortunately, a tradeoff for securely mounting a handset within a PDA is that removal of the handset from the PDA can be cumbersome and somewhat difficult. This may hinder acceptance of PDAs for use within the office in place of traditional desk top telephone devices.
It may be difficult to make PDA handsets more accessible in the office. Because a PDA handset is typically untethered to a PDA, it often operates under battery power. Consequently, a PDA handset is typically configured to be recharged when secured within its holder in the PDA. In addition, the handset may serve various functions, such as allowing the PDA to be used as a speaker phone. By raising the handset somewhat from its holder to increase user accessibility, the ability to recharge the handset or use the PDA as a speaker phone may become difficult.